GOP lawmaker warns public safety workers 'turning to food banks' as government shutdown drags on

FIRST ON FOX: A former federal prosecutor-turned-member of Congress is warning that the ongoing government shutdown is posing a growing risk to Americans' public safety.

Rep. Brad Knott, R-N.C., led a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Wednesday, sounding the alarm on the increasingly dire situation for people responsible for keeping Americans safe and warning of its impact across the country.

"Some of these workers are already turning to food pantries to feed their families, taking out loans to pay their bills, or even seeking temporary part-time employment, all because of Senate Democrats' desire to use government funding as political leverage," the letter said.

Knott's message is signed by 10 other House Republicans, all of whom served as "law enforcement, criminal justice, and public safety professionals" before coming to Congress.

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The government shutdown entered its 36th day Wednesday, making it the longest such fiscal standoff in U.S. history.

The House passed a short-term federal funding bill on Sept. 19 aimed at giving lawmakers until Nov. 21 to strike a deal on fiscal year (FY) 2026 spending levels.

But at least some Democrats are needed to advance the legislation in the Senate, where it's failed 14 times over the left's demand that any funding deal be paired with an extension of COVID-19 pandemic-era Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of this year.

Republicans have contended that federal funding and healthcare are issues that must be considered separately.

In addition to criticizing Senate Democrats over the impasse, Knott hit Schumer for his caucus' rejection of a bill aimed at paying federal employees forced to work during the shutdown, which includes people responsible for public safety and law enforcement.

"By rejecting the Shutdown Fairness Act, you and your Democratic colleagues voted to withhold pay from frontline law enforcement personnel as they continue to confront very real and present dangers threatening our society," the letter said.

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"In practice, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will be less prepared to safeguard air travel. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will lose momentum in the fight against fentanyl trafficking. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, who are already facing bounties from transnational criminal cartels to be paid upon their murder, will lose backup in their ongoing efforts to enforce immigration laws."

The GOP lawmakers also warned the extended shutdown could risk officials from those agencies seeking other jobs, permanently altering the workforce.

The Trump administration said in October that funding from Republicans' One Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) will be used to pay a significant number of law enforcement officers operating under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

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But civilian employees of those agencies, who provide critical support to their counterparts in the field, will only be paid after the shutdown is over.

It's also not clear how long OBBBA funds will be able to sustain those who are being paid.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Court System announced late last month that funding to sustain full operations has run out.

"Examples of excepted work include activities necessary to perform constitutional functions under Article III, activities necessary for the safety of human life and protection of property, and activities otherwise authorized by federal law. Excepted work will be performed without pay during the funding lapse. Staff members not performing excepted work will be placed on furlough," the judicial press release said.

And the lack of pay for TSA agents and air traffic controllers has already led to delays and groundstops at airports across the country.

Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer's office for a response but did not immediately hear back.